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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · dip · ruler · face · cold · hand · game · lean

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — an illness
  3. game — a match
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to sink
  16. face — to confront
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. game — wild animals
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hand — help
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com